ASU is a beautiful place to work. The grounds are a horticulturist's dream. Benefits are decent, especially the Arizona State Retirement system if you can hang in long enough to make it work for you, and the tuition deferment is great if you or a family member wants to take classes. The AZ State Retirement system is independently invested and protected from the depredations of state legislators. You'll pay into the retirement system as well as Social Security, but it's worth it.

Cons

Salaries have traditionally been low compared with private industry. Then the recession, combined with the advent of President Crow, brought a wave of job and salary cutbacks. This is in spite of the fact that Mr. Crow is one of the highest-paid university presidents in the country. Building investments continue despite staff cutbacks and a general sense that staff, including teaching staff, is an expendable commodity. Some of this, of course, will depend on your department. The School of Business and School of Engineering, for instance, are funded better than schools like Nursing and Art.

Arizona, in general, is not education-friendly. Prepare to hear, every year, threats of cut-backs from the legislature. Performance requirements for central information technology staff, at least, are poorly delineated and seemingly, randomly adhered to.

Advice to ManagementAdvice

The university was established as an higher education center for the benefit of the state of Arizona, not as a profit-making corporate entity. Admittedly you have a difficult job convincing state legislators of the need to invest in education, but making staff a part of the "impossible dream" of educating Arizona, rather than treating them as an annoying encumbrance, would better suit your mission.